WEALTH CREATORS’ CONTRIBUTION TO HOLISTIC …bamglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Wealth...Executive Summary: Wealth Creators’ Contribution to Holistic Transformation [Quotes

WEALTH

CREATORS’

CONTRIBUTIONTO

HOLISTIC

TRANSFORMATION

WEALTHCREATORS’

CONTRIBUTIONTO

HOLISTIC

TRANSFORMATION

Global Consultation on Wealth Creation for

Transformation

March 2017

lausanne.org•bamglobal.org

THEWEALTHCREATORS

ApaperfromtheGlobalConsultationon

WealthCreationforTransformation

organizedbytheLausanneMovementandBAMGlobal

inChiangMai,Thailand,inMarch2017.

© LausanneMovement&BAMGlobal

Permissionisgrantedtodistributethispaperforpersonalandeducationaluse,

freeofcharge.Commercialuseisprohibited.

Pleaseincludethisacknowledgementwhensharingandquoting:

2017GlobalConsultationonWealthCreationforTransformation;Lausanne

Movement&BAMGlobal.

Weencouragethedisseminationofthispaperandalsothevarious

translationsoftheWealthCreationManifesto.

GlobalConsultationonWealthCreationforTransformationSeries:• WealthCreationandthePoor

• RoleoftheChurchinWealthCreation

• WealthCreation:BiblicalViewsandPerspectives

• WealthCreationandtheStewardshipofCreation

• WealthCreationwithinGlobalCulturalPerspectives

• WealthCreators'ContributiontoHolisticTransformation

• WealthCreationandJustice

Formoreinformationcontact:[email protected]•[email protected]

4

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Foreword...................................................................................................................................5

WealthCreationManifesto.......................................................................................................7

ExecutiveSummary:WealthCreators’ContributiontoHolisticTransformation.....................9

WealthCreators’ContributiontoHolisticTransformation.....................................................10

1.0Introduction:UniqueOpportunitiesforMissionalWealthCreators............................10

2.0ReductioninPovertythroughBusinessovertheLast200Years:aBriefLookatthe

Statistics.......................................................................................................................10

3.0TheAlbanianExample:aCaseforaBusinessFocusbyChristians...............................14

4.0TheNewContextforMission.......................................................................................18

5.0BusinessthatAlleviatesPoverty...................................................................................24

6.0BusinessCases..............................................................................................................25

7.0Conclusion....................................................................................................................30

Appendix1..............................................................................................................................31

Appendix2..............................................................................................................................37

Endnotes.................................................................................................................................41

5

Foreword

‘RemembertheLORDyourGod,foritishewhogivesyoutheabilitytoproducewealth’(Deut

8:18).

TheBibletalksaboutwealthinthreeways;oneisbadandtwoaregood.Hoardingofwealth

iscondemned.Sharingofwealthisencouraged.Creationofwealthisbothagodlygiftanda

command,andthereisnowealthtobesharedunlessithasfirstbeencreated.Butalltoooftentheissueofwealthcreationismisunderstood,neglected,orevenrejected.Thesame

thingappliestowealthcreators.

TheGlobalConsultationonTheRoleofWealthCreationforHolisticTransformationaimed

ataddressingthat.Wewereabout30peoplefrom20nations,primarilyfromthebusiness

world,andalsofromchurch,missionsandacademia.DuringtheConsultationprocess2016–

2017wediscussedvariousaspectsofwealthcreation,includingjustice,poverty,biblical

foundations,culture,wealthcreators,stewardshipofcreationandtheroleofthechurch.

ThefindingshavebeensummarizedintheWealthCreationManifesto,andwillalsobe

publishedinseveralreportsandabook,aswellasaneducationalvideo.

Allthesecontainawealthofknowledgeandinsights,basedontheScriptures,rootedin

historyandinformedbypresent-dayconversationsandexamples.

Goldinthegroundhasnoparticularvalueuntilitisdiscovered,extracted,andtraded.Using

themetaphorofminingletmementionthree‘goldmines’thatwehavesoughttodiginto

duringourConsultationprocess.

ThebiblicalgoldmineFromtheManifesto:‘WealthcreationisrootedinGodtheCreator,whocreatedaworldthat

flourisheswithabundanceanddiversity.WearecreatedinGod’simage,toco-createwith

himandforhim,tocreateproductsandservicesforthecommongood.Wealthcreationisa

holycalling,andaGod-givengift,whichiscommendedintheBible.’Thereisalotmoregold

tobefoundinthebiblicalgoldmine.

Thehistoricalgoldmine

Wealthcreationleadingtotransformationisnotnew.FromtheManifesto:‘Wealthcreation

throughbusinesshasprovenpowertoliftpeopleandnationsoutofpoverty.’Therearemany

storiesofholistictransformationthroughwealthcreationthroughouthistory,andsomeare

stilluntold.Wealthcreationhasahistoryandweneedtoexploreitfurther.Throughour

reportsyoucandigintohistoricalgoldmines.

6

TheglobalgoldmineWealthcreationisnotaWesternorrich-worldphenomenon.Manymenandwomenare

makingadifferencethroughbusinessesonallcontinents.FromtheManifesto:‘Wealth

creatorsshouldbeaffirmedbytheChurch,andequippedanddeployedtoserveinthe

marketplaceamongallpeoplesandnations.’Weneedtolearnfromthemandothersandto

extracttheglobalgold,alsofoundinthesereports.

DiscoverandextracttheintellectualwealthintheManifesto,thereportsandbooksaswellasthevideo,andletthemaddvaluetoyourlifeandwork.Sharewithothers.

PleasestartbyreadingtheWealthCreationManifesto.Itwillgiveyouacontextanda

frameworktobetterunderstandeachreport.PleasealsoseetheappendixConsultationon

WealthCreation:BackgroundandContext.

MatsTunehag

ChairmanoftheConveningTeam

7

WealthCreationManifesto

Background

TheLausanneMovementandBAMGlobalorganizedaGlobalConsultationonTheRoleofWealthCreationforHolisticTransformation,inChiangMai,Thailand,inMarch2017.About

30peoplefrom20nationsparticipated,primarilyfromthebusinessworld,andalsofrom

church,missionsandacademia.Thefindingswillbepublishedinseveralpapersandabook,

aswellasaneducationalvideo.ThisManifestoconveystheessentialsofourdeliberations

beforeandduringtheConsultation.

Affirmations

1. WealthcreationisrootedinGodtheCreator,whocreatedaworldthatflourishes

withabundanceanddiversity.

2. WearecreatedinGod’simage,toco-createwithhimandforhim,tocreateproducts

andservicesforthecommongood.

3. Wealthcreationisaholycalling,andaGod-givengift,whichiscommendedinthe

Bible.

4. WealthcreatorsshouldbeaffirmedbytheChurch,andequippedanddeployedto

serveinthemarketplaceamongallpeoplesandnations.

5. Wealthhoardingiswrong,andwealthsharingshouldbeencouraged,butthereisno

wealthtobesharedunlessithasbeencreated.

6. Thereisauniversalcalltogenerosity,andcontentmentisavirtue,butmaterial

simplicityisapersonalchoice,andinvoluntarypovertyshouldbealleviated.

7. Thepurposeofwealthcreationthroughbusinessgoesbeyondgivinggenerously,

althoughthatistobecommended;goodbusinesshasintrinsicvalueasameansof

materialprovisionandcanbeanagentofpositivetransformationinsociety.

8. Businesshasaspecialcapacitytocreatefinancialwealth,butalsohasthepotential

tocreatedifferentkindsofwealthformanystakeholders,includingsocial,

intellectual,physicalandspiritualwealth.

9. Wealthcreationthroughbusinesshasprovenpowertoliftpeopleandnationsoutof

poverty.

10. Wealthcreationmustalwaysbepursuedwithjusticeandaconcernforthepoor,and

shouldbesensitivetoeachuniqueculturalcontext.

8

11. Creationcareisnotoptional.Stewardshipofcreationandbusinesssolutionstoenvironmentalchallengesshouldbeanintegralpartofwealthcreationthrough

business.

Appeal

WepresenttheseaffirmationstotheChurchworldwide,andespeciallytoleadersin

business,church,government,andacademia.1

• Wecallthechurchtoembracewealthcreationascentraltoourmissionofholistic

transformationofpeoplesandsocieties.

• Wecallforfresh,ongoingeffortstoequipandlaunchwealthcreatorstothatvery

end.

• Wecallwealthcreatorstoperseverance,diligentlyusingtheirGod-givengiftsto

serveGodandpeople.

AdmaioremDeigloriam—ForthegreatergloryofGod

9

ExecutiveSummary:WealthCreators’ContributiontoHolisticTransformation

[Quotesinitalicsareexcerptsfromthereport,unlessotherwisestated.]

Thisreportexploresthehistoricalandcurrenteffectofwealthcreationthroughbusinesson

poverty.Itprovidesexamplesandsuggestionsforwealthcreatorstointentionallycontribute

toholistictransformation.

Indefiningwealthcreation,thisreportholdstruewealthistheabilitytofullyembraceour

Creator’sworldcompletewithrelationships,helpingotherstocreatewealthandhavinga

sustainableandscalablewealthcreationmodel.Deuteronomy8:18remindsusthatitisour

Godwhogivesusthecapacitytocreatewealth.Godintendsmaterialblessingforus,butwe

mustrememberhiminthemidstofallourcreating.

WeexploredtheIndustrialRevolutionandtherecentglobalizationofbusinessandits

impactonpovertystatistics.ThedecreaseinpovertyfollowedtheIndustrialRevolution.As

productivityincreased,thefactorysystemgrew.Whilethecountriesattheforefrontof

industrializationprospered,thecountriesfromwhichtherawmaterialsweregathered—the

GlobalSouthortheFarEast—didnotalwaysfinditapositiveforcetobringthemoutof

poverty.Ittookactuallymakingandsellingthegoodstodothat.

AsacountrystudywelookedatAlbaniaascommunismfellandthecountryopenedtothe

gospel.ReligiousfreedomandthegrowthofthechurchdidnotbringAlbaniaoutofpoverty.

ForeignAidalsodidnotbringAlbaniaoutofpoverty.Perhapsitcouldbesaidthatwhileaid

ishelpful,whenitdoesnotfocusoneconomicdevelopment,peopleremaininpoverty.Yes,

povertyhasgonedownabout10percent,buteventhatisbasedononlyUSD1.25perday:

clearlyinadequate.

Lookingatpastsuccessfulmovestobringthegospelandwealthcreation,wereviewedthe

historicalspreadofthegospelalongthetraderoutes.ForinstancetheNestorianstraveled

theSilkRoadreachingChinawiththegospelbythesixthcentury.Theyutilizedthesame

wordforevangelistasbusinessperson.Wealsolookedattheexemplarybusinessprinciples

oftheQuakers,Moravians,andBaselmission.

Askinghowwemightexaminebusinessestoday,wedevelopedagridtomeasurebusinesses

onstrategicandintentionalbiblicalwealthcreation.Tomakethegridpracticalweprovided

examplesofthreebusinesses.

Finally,wealsosuggestedforminganorganizationtoprovideyoungbusinessleaders

experienceandmentoringbyexperiencedwealthcreators.

Inconclusion:

WebelievethatcreatingrealwealthiswhatGoddesiresfromus:wealththatblesses

families,communities,andcountries.Thatblessingincludessharingfaithandlove,providing

jobsthataremeaningfulandreflectthecreativenessofourGod.Buildingbusinessforthe

longhaul:sustainableandscalable....Wetrustthattheseexampleswillsparkthechurch

andbusinesscommunitytoconsiderhowtheymightaffirm,alignandreleasewealth

creatorstotheministryofthegospel.

10

WealthCreators’ContributiontoHolisticTransformation

NoraHughes,PaulLee,WesleyMontechiariFigueira,SteveDubbeldam,PuspakPatro,TitusYu

1.0Introduction:UniqueOpportunitiesforMissionalWealthCreators

Aswelookaroundtoday’sworldoffast-pacedchangesinpolitical,social,andbusiness

structures,itwouldbeeasytowonderifChristiansandtheirorganizationsreallyhavea

placeinthisnewworldorder.Webelievewedo.Businesspeopletypicallylookatproblems

asopportunitiesthathavenotyetfoundasolution.Businessistheonlyorganizationthat

createswealththatisscalableandsustainable.2Sincethebeginningoftime,businesshas

beenorderedandblessedbyGod,theCreator.Businessitselfhasnotalwaysbeengood,fair,

orgodly—weunderstanditsexcessesandhistory.However,webelieveitiswaitingtobe

usedbyGodtodayinnew,yetoldsolutionstoalleviatepovertyandspreadthegospel.But

firstashortjourneytowherewearetodayandhowwegothere.

Inthispaper,lookingatpovertyreductionasaresultofglobalizingbusiness,weaskthe

question:doesbusinessingeneralreallyreducepovertyorisitanexcuseforsometoget

richwhileothersgetpoor?ThispaperthenlooksatwealthcreationbyChristiansoverthe

centuriesasthegospelmovesalongtraderoutes.Wealsoprovideseveralcasestudiesof

wealthcreatorstodayandhowtheyusethatwealthtoblessthecommunitiesaroundthem.

Finally,weproposeaplantosupportthenextgenerationofwealthcreators.

Defining‘wealth’First,wemustdefinewealthcreationandwealthcreators.Creatingwealthtodayisoften

seenassomepeoplegettingobscenelyrichwhileothersremainingdesperatelypoor.Is

wealthcreationjustaboutmakingmoney,investinginthestockmarket,forinstance,and

passivelywatchingyourmoneygrow?Maybe,butourdefinitionofwealthcreationis

broaderthanonepersonoronefamilyearningmoney.Creatingwealthtypicallybeginswith

thefamily,transmittingvaluesofworkandcreativenessthatresultinuniqueandsalable

productsorservices.Humaningenuityandcreativeness,aswellasnaturalresources,create

wealth.Butwealthismorethanhavingasurplusofmoney.Truewealthistheabilitytofully

embraceourCreator’sworldcompletewithrelationships,helpingotherstocreatewealth

andhavingasustainableandscalablewealthcreationmodel.Deuteronomy8:18remindsus

thatitisourGodwhogivesusthecapacitytocreatewealth.Godintendsmaterialblessing

forus,butwemustrememberhiminthemidstofallourcreating.

2.0ReductioninPovertythroughBusinessovertheLast200Years:aBriefLookatthe

StatisticsOverthelast200yearswehaveseenamazingreductionsofpovertyintheGlobalNorthor

whatiscalledtheWest.Whatwerethemechanisms?Howdidithappen?Todayweoften

11

seeaidusedinanefforttoreducepoverty.Wealsoseemicro-loansandmicro-business.But

havethoseprocessesreallymadea

difference?Hasitworkedinthe

past?Diditsomehowworkin

today’srichcountriesresultingin

theirwealth?Lookingatthearticle

‘Whatreallyreducespoverty?’,3

MaxRoserandEstebanOrtiz-

OspinahaveutilizedWorldBank

statisticstoanalyzethecausesand

progressofGlobalExtremePoverty,

whichisdefinedasthoselivingon

underUSD1.25perday.ChartOne

showstheprogressinsomeofthe

countriesweconsiderrichtoday.

ChartTwoshowsthedeclineof

povertyasglobalbusiness

increased.

Thedecreaseinpoverty

followedtheIndustrial

Revolution.Asproductivity

increased,thefactorysystem

grew.Whilethecountriesat

theforefrontof

industrializationprospered,

thecountriesfromwhichthe

rawmaterialswere

gathered—theGlobalSouthor

theFarEast—didnotalways

finditapositiveforcetobring

themoutofpoverty.Ittook

actuallymakingandsellingthe

goodstodothat.

WecanfollowthepathofglobalizationinChartThreefromtheWesttotheEastbylooking

attheFourAsianTigers.4Whilethisfollowsthepathofglobalization,italsoshowsthe

increaseinproductivityasprocessesweremechanized.

From1981onward,wehavemoreaccurateempiricaldataonglobalextremepoverty.5

BourguignonandMorrisonestimatethepastarebasedonnationalaccountsandadditional

informationonthelevelofinequalitywithincountries.Thedatafrom1981onwardscomes

fromtheWorldBank,whichbasestheirestimatesonhouseholdsurveys.

ChartOne

ChartTwo

12

Accordingtothesehousehold

surveys,44percentoftheworld

populationlivedinabsolutepoverty

in1981.Sincethen,theshareofpoor

peoplehasdeclinedveryfast—infact

fasterthaneverbeforeinworld

history.In32yearstheshareof

peoplelivinginextremepovertywas

dividedbyfour,reachinglevelsbelow

11percentin2013.Althoughthe

WorldBankestimatesfor2015are

notavailable,theprojectionssuggest

thattheincidenceofextremepoverty

hasfallenbelow10percent.

Wemightrejoiceatthestatisticsof

economicgrowthduetobusiness

andfeelthattheproblemofpoverty

willtakecareofitself...eventually.Butagain,thatisachimeraasthefollowingshows:

Whileglobalinequalityisstillveryhigh,wearenowlivinginaperiodoffallinginequality:

In2003thisratiowas37.6.TheGinicoefficienthasalsofallenfrom68.7to64.9.Taking

thehistoricalexperienceasaguideforwhatispossibleinthefuture,wehaveto

concludethatglobalinequalitywillremainhighforalongtime.Toseethiswecanask

howlongitwilltakeforthosewithincomesatthepoorest10percentcutofftoachieve

thecurrentincomesoftherichest10percentcutoffwhichis14,500international-USD.

ThisincomelevelisroughlythelevelofGDPpercapitaabovewhichthepoverty

headcountgetsclosetozeropercentformostcountries.6

2.1Howlongdoesittakeforincomestogrowfrom480USDto14,500USD?

2percentgrowth 172.1years





Evenunderaveryoptimisticscenarioitwilltakeseveraldecadesforthepoortoreach

theincomeleveloftheglobaltop10percent.7

Wemustthenconcludethatasbusinesshasgrownduetotheopportunitiesofglobalization,

povertywasreduced.Whileeachcountryshouldbeexaminedfortheirparticularities,itis

clearthatgrowthofbusinessreducespovertyandincreasesincome.Didtheincreasein

businessjusthappenorwasittiedtootherevents?

GDPpercapitafortheFourAsianTigers(Singapore,Hong

Kong,TaiwanandKorea)between1960and2014,

expressedinconstant2011USdollars.Datafor"RealGDPat

ConstantNationalPrices"and"Population"fromEconomic

ResearchattheFederalReserveBankofSt.Louis.Creative

Commons,Kanguole

ChartThree

13

2.2PoliticalchangeledtoeconomicchangeandanewcontextformissionAshortrecapofthepoliticalstateoftheworldfrom1990totoday,showingthespreadof

gospelandthebiblicalmandateofhelpingthepoor:

Ascommunismfellintheearly1990s,StateOwnedEnterprises(SOEs)wereprivatizedand

begantocompeteglobally.InsomecountriessuchasRussia,thisprocesswasquitecorrupt

allowingafewoligarchstobecomerich.Butmanypeoplebecamepoorerastheynolonger

hadaguaranteedincome,nomatterhowsmall,fromthestate.However,thesenewlyfreed

largebusinessesfoundopportunitiestoglobalizeandgrowrevenues.InRussia,thestate

encouragedsmallbusiness,oftencalledshoppingbagbusinesses,andbegantogrowa

privatesector.8

Businessnaturallyseeksopportunities.Andtheopportunityofagenerationpresenteditself

withthefallofcommunismintheUSSRandEasternEurope.Theopeningupofthe15

countriescreatedfromtheUSSRaswellasthe12fromEasternEurope(notcountingEast

GermanywhichjoinedWestGermany)wasanunprecedentedopportunity.Manycompanies

fromthemostindustrializedcountriesfoundtheirwayintotheformercommunistcountries

andChinasettingthestageforanextraordinaryglobalizationofbusiness.

Theopennesstobusinesscreatedopennesstonewideasandthinkingagainaboutreligion,

whichwaslargelycondemnedundercommunism.AsthecountriesoftheformerSoviet

Unionanditssatellitecountriesopenedtheirdoorstothewest,missionariescameflooding

in,andthestagewassetforanincreaseinopenopportunitytospreadthegospel.

Chinawasaspecialcaseasitmaintaineditscommunistpoliticalstructure,butchangedits

economicstructuretocapitalismwithaChineseface.9Forthefirsttimesincethecommunist

revolutionofthe1950s,foreignChristianworkerscouldcarefullylookaroundandseethe

unprecedentedgrowthofthegospelunderpersecution.Itwasajoyful,yethumblingtime.

Whilecommunismwasstillintact,Christianitywasontheriseand,ifcareful,Christian

workerscouldenterChinaasteachers,socialworkers,students,andthelike.

ThefallofcommunismopenedthedoorstobusinessandthegospelinEasternEuropeand

theformerSovietcountries.China,thoughstillcommunist,wasopeninamorediscreteway

tobusinessandthegospel.Thechangesthisbroughtcouldbefeltacrosstheglobe.In2005,

NewYorkTimeswriter,ThomasFriedman,wrotehisfamousbook,TheWorldisFlat:ABrief

HistoryoftheTwenty-FirstCentury.10Friedmanheldthattheopportunitiesofglobalization

wouldmaketheworld“flat”allowingallanequaleconomicplayingfield.Inthe12years

sinceitspublicationmanyhaveseenthattheplayingfieldisnotasflatasFriedmanthought.

However,inmanyplacespovertywasreducedwiththedevelopmentofglobalbusiness.

Increasingthewealthofafamily,community,orcountrycreatessocialchange.Thatsocial

changewasnotalwayswelcomeorwantedasfamilystructures,educationsystems,and

evengovernmentschangedtoaccommodatetheculturalchangesbroughtbyglobal

businessthinking.ForinstanceinChengdu,Chinaasahigh-techcompanyhirednewcollege

14

graduatesthoseworkersfeltthatafterfiveyearsofworkingforahigh-techmultinational

corporation,theirvalueswouldbesodifferenttheywouldnotfitintotheirfamilystructure

anylonger:

AnexpatriatemanagerwithmanyyearsofHighTechexperience,hadsomeofthe

sameissues:IthinkIusedtobemorewillingtotoleratepeople’sproblemsthanIam

now.IthinknowItreateverythinglikea[HighTech]meetingandifsomeonefailsto

meetmyexpectations,outsidetheworkforce,IthinkIshouldapplya[HighTech]

standardin‘Heyyoufailedtomeetmyexpectations.’Youcan’thavethat

conversationwitheithersomeonewhodoesn’tunderstandwhattherulesareor

withsomeonewhoshouldn’thavetomeetyourexpectationsbecausethat’snotthe

basisoftherelationship....IthinkIhavehardenedmorethanIwouldliketohave

hardened.Iliketothinkthatsomewhereinthereyoudon’ttotallyloseyour

compassion,yourabilitytoempathize,butIthinkyoudotosomeextent.Sothat’s

thestuffthattroublesme.11

AscountriesopenedtoglobalbusinessChristiansfoundwaystotakethegospeltothose

countries.EasternEuropewasparticularlyfruitfulforthegospel.We’lllookatjustone

example—Albania:ThemostclosedcountryinEurope,whichcouldbelikenedtotheNorth

Koreaofitsday.

3.0TheAlbanianExample:aCaseforaBusinessFocusbyChristians.12

3.1Historicalsetting

HistoricallyAlbaniawasChristianuntiltheOttomanEmpireconqueredtheminthemid

1400s.Atthattimeabout70percentofthepopulationbecameMuslim.Itisbelievedthe

changeofreligionwaspredicatedonlivinginaMuslimstatethatdidnotallowanynon-

Muslimaccesstotherightsofcitizenship.Albaniabecameitsowncountryin1912uponthe

weakeningoftheOttomanEmpire.ManyAlbanianswouldhavebeenhappytocontinueto

beapartofthenewTurkey,buttheywantedtousetheirownlanguage,whichwas

forbiddenbytheTurks.Sotheyseparatedandsetuptheirowncountry,whichlastedabit

morethan30years.CommunismcametoAlbaniain1946withEnverHoxhaasthe

communistdictator.

Noreligionwasallowedduringcommunisttimes,neitherChristiannorMuslim.Albaniawas

acompletelyclosedcountryfromtherestofEurope.Independenttotheend,theyallowed

themselvestobeaclientstateoffirstYugoslavia,thenRussiaandfinallyChina.Theyfound

eachonenotStalinistenough.In1967theyoustedtheChinese,theirlastcommunistpartner,

anddeclaredthemselvesanatheisticsocialistcountry.

Duringcommunismapproximately25percentofthepopulationwasputintointernal

prisonsandallreligiousleaderswereexecuted.Therewasnoundergroundchurchor

mosque.Noonecouldevenbenamedabiblicalname,althoughafewbravegrandmothers

didbaptizetheirgrandchildrenattheriskoftheirlives.

15

3.2Fromcommunismtocapitalism

AlbaniawasthelastEasternEuropeancountrytooverthrowcommunism.Inastudent

revolutionledbylawprofessorZefBrozi,thegovernmentfellinMarchof1992.Aspeople

understoodhowthecommunistsdupedthem,theybecameangryanddestroyedallthe

meansofproductionbelievingtheywerethetoolsofanoppressivegovernment.Therewas

noprivatebusinessatallundercommunism.SoAlbaniawasvirtuallyablankslate:no

religionwhatsoever,noindustryorbusiness;justpeoplegoingthroughatimeofphysical

starvationanddealingwithunprecedentedsocialchange.

AsAlbaniadescendedintoever-greaterpoverty,Christianworkersfloodedin.TheAlbanian

EncouragementProject(AEP)wasbegunin1993withabout45foreignmissionagencies

workingtogether.

AresearcherinOctober1992attemptedtotabulatetheamazingevangelical

presenceinAlbania.Helisted40couples,25singlemenand22singlewomen

workinginTiranaand14othercenters.Amoreprecisefigurerecentlylisted204

evangelicalactivists.Theycomefromanamazingnumberofcountries;Australia,

Belgium,Canada,NewZealand,Switzerland,Brazil,SouthAfrica,Finland,Greece,

Norway,Sweden,England,theUnitedStates,Austria,Germany,Hungary,Italy,

HollandandMexico.Besidesevangelismandchurch-plantingtheyengageinmedical

work,orphanages,publications,Bibletranslation,literaturedistribution,student

work,agriculturalcounseling,schoolrepairsandreliefwork.Thisisallsovery

incredible!13

ManyAlbaniansembracedthegospel,buttheworkofthemissionariesdidnotinclude

business.TheWesttypicallysupportednewpastorsandthechurchwasvulnerabletosocial

changes.In1997duringaperiodofextremecivilunrestborderingoncivilwar,allthe

ChristianorganizationsexceptCatholicReliefSocietyleftAlbania.TheonlyotherNGOthat

wascontinuingtoworkinthecountrywastheAlbanianEducationDevelopmentProjectof

Soros.ThatgapleftpeoplefeelingabandonedbythechurchandtheWest.Therewereafew

localpastors,buttheyhadnoincome.Thechurchthatisdependentuponforeignmoneyisa

weakchurchbothforitsownstructureandalsoforitsabilitytoaffectitscommunityfor

Christ.

InAugustof1991,theUNICEFMissiontoTiranareportedthatAlbaniapercapitaincome

was‘byfarthelowestinEurope.’By2014,23yearslater,onecouldhopethatitwouldbe

better,butthegainsweresmall.

Despiterecentyearsofeconomicgrowth,povertypersistsinAlbaniaasaresultof

continuinglowemploymentandlow-incomelevels,particularlyinruralmountain

areas,anditreflectstheunequalpatternofeconomicgrowth.Manysmall-scale

farmerslackaccesstomarketoutletsfortheirproduce,particularlyinmountain

areas.Withoutoutlets,farmerscannotincreasetheirincomesandstandardsofliving.

Theirproblemsarecompoundedbyascarcityofmarketinformation,lackof

16

compliancewithfoodhygieneandsafetystandardsandinadequaciesinpackaging

andlabeling,whichmaketheirproductsuncompetitive.Manyfarmers,asserting

reactive,post-communistindividualism,areskepticalofthepotentialbenefitsof

moreformalbusinesscollaboration,suchasmember-runmarketingandtrading

associations.

Farmproductionandproductivityarehinderedalsobylimitedtechnicalknowledge,

obsoleteequipmentandlimitedavailabilityofinputs.Marketsaredistant,thereisa

lackoffinancialservicesandtheageingfarmingpopulationiscomposedmainlyof

womenbecausemenmigrateinsearchofemployment.Unlessprocessingindustries

arestimulatedtoactascatalystsinsupplynetworks,opportunitiesforAlbanian

farmerswillremainunderexploited,andcommerciallyorientedfarmingwillremaina

sporadicandunorganizedactivity.14

Fromthequoteaboveitisapparentthatthelackofbusinesssystemsholdpeopleinpoverty.

TheUNstatisticsshowthatpoverty

hasgonefrom25.4percentin2002

to14.3percentin2012,basedon

thecriteriaof1.25USDperday.

However,considering1.25USDper

dayasthelevelofpoverty,onehas

toaskwhether1.25USDisaproper

criteriaorwhatthenumberwould

beusingtheWorldBank’s1.90USD.

Theanswerisclearfromother

statisticssuchasmalnutrition,infant

deaths,etcthattheAlbanian’slifeis

houndedbylack.Therefore,we

wouldmaintainthatinreality,

povertyismuchhigherthan14.3

percent.

3.3Today’ssituation

ChartFourshowsthatfrom2000–

2008foreignaidtoAlbaniahas

beenreducedone-third.15Within

foreignaidsomewasallocatedto

economicdevelopment.However,

fromChartFiveonecanseethat

theamountgivenforEconomic

Developmentisquitesmallin

comparisonwithotheraid.

ChartFour

ChartFive

17

Perhapsitcouldbesaidthatwhileaidishelpful,whenitdoesnotfocusoneconomic

development,peopleremaininpoverty.Yes,povertyhasgonedownabout10percent,but

eventhatisbasedononly1.25USDperday—clearlyinadequate.

3.4Thecaptivityofcorruption

WealsowanttopointoutanotherissuehinderingbusinesslifeinAlbania:corruption.Ina

largelycorruptcountry,mostsecularbusinesswillnotcomein.Manystoriesaretoldabout

companiesthathavetriedtosetupbusinessinAlbania,butwerecheatedoutoftheir

capitalandopportunity.AccordingtotheEuropeanUnion,

Corruptionrepresentsthefailureofthesocietytomanagethecompetinginterestsof

differentgroupsinafairandmeritocraticway.AccordingtotheTransparency

International,corruptioninAlbaniawithinthepublicsectorremainsoneofthe

country’sbiggestchallenges,particularlyinareassuchaspoliticalparties,health,and

justicesystems.Thelowwages,thesocialacceptanceofbriberyandthenarrow

socialnetworksmakedifficultthetaskofcombatingcorruptionamongpolice,judges

andcustomsofficials.

In2012theTransparencyInternationalReport(E.U.),despitethe‘zerotolerance’

policybythegovernmentofSaliBerisha,rankedAlbaniaasthemostcorruptcountry

inEuropeandalsoasoneofthemostcorruptcountriesintheworld.Thecountry

wasin116thpositionoutof176countriesin2012,downfrom95thplacein2011.

Thisnumbersoundsthealarmforthedemocraticstabilityofthecountry.16

Althoughthissamestorycouldbetoldaboutmanyoftheformercommunistcountries,

Albania’spositionasatransitpointfordrugsandhumantraffickingmakeitparticularly

noxious.Multinationalcompaniescannotgointoaplacethiscorrupt;equally,small

businessesfaceanimpossibleenvironmentandarerunout.Thus,povertyabounds.

Isthisnotsomethingthechurchshouldtackle?InhisLausannepublication,Fred

Catherwoodquotesnumerousscripturalexamplesandthenstates:

ThesepassagesshowthatinbothOldandNewTestaments,briberyisregardedasa

sinagainstGod;aperversionofjusticewhichallowstherichtoexploitthepoor,and

anabuseorexploitationofpowertosatisfygreed.TheyteachthatthepeopleofGod

mustbehonest.

ThefightagainstcorruptionhastobeawholeheartedeffortbytheentireChurch,

andnotleftasabattletobefoughtonlybythosewholiveinovertlycorrupt

cultures....Christiansarethe‘saltoftheearth’andtheprimepurposeofsaltisto

preventcorruption.17

Thisisanopportunityforthechurchandforthoseworkingwiththechurch.Weareabout

twenty-fiveyearsintoaseachangeofgovernmentsaroundtheworldwithlargemovesin

18

globalizingbusiness,andyetwestillseepeopleinpoverty.Coulditbethatwehavenot

focusedwellonwhereGod’sheartis?AsCatherwoodstates,briberyisasinagainstGod.

Andyetweareoftenambivalentorquietlycomplicit.Wedonottakeastrongstandagainst

corruptionandfeelthatwithoutpayingabribewecannotgetavisa,openourbusiness,etc.

Orwearguethatwearesimplyinsyncwiththecultureofthisorthatcountry,not

understandingthatwearepartofasystemthatisunfairandkeepspeopleinpoverty.

3.5Summary

LookingattheexampleofAlbaniarevealsfourthingsthatperhapscanhelpusunderstand

theissueshinderingthechurchinothercountries:

1. Thechurchisgrowingandthecountryisopentosharethegospel.

2. Thestructuresofgovernmenthavebeenputinplaceandtheinternational

communityishelpingtosomedegree.

3. Butpovertyisstillloominglargeandthereislittlefocusonbusinessfromtheaid

agenciesnorthemissioncommunity.

4. Corruptiondoesnotgoawaybyitselfandispartofcreatinggreaterviabilityforthe

church

4.0TheNewContextforMission

Whileweseethechurchdevelopingandgrowing

acrosstheentireformercommunistworld.Itis

typicallysupportedbyforeignmissionagenciesthat

providefundsandpersonnelfor‘church-planting’but

notforbusiness.18Ourquestionis,canthechurchbe

viable—abletostandonitsown—withoutastrong

businesseconomyamongthecongregants?Havewe

builtahollowchurchstructurethatcollapseswhen

foreignfundingisreducedbecausethechurchis

financiallyimpoverished?Christiansoftenlookatthe

churchastheChurchUniversal,leftintheworldby

God.However,thereisthepractical,legalstructure

thatallorganizationshavewithinthegovernment

structurewheretheylive.

AreportbythePewResearchCenteronJune21,2016

showsthatmanycountrieshaveincreased

governmentalrestrictionsonreligion.ChartSixshows

thedifferencebetween2013and2014.19

Fromjustthesesmallsamples,itisapparentthatnew

religiouslawscompoundthepressureonlocal

churchesaswellasforeignNGOsthatworkwiththe

churchinthatcountry.

ChartSix

19

4.1Isthisanunsolvableproblem?Theshortanswerisyes.Thatis,yes,ifallwehadwerethecurrentstateoftheconfluenceof

governments,legalstructures,socialissues,missionagencies,andchurchstructures.But

thatisnotallwehave.Godhaslefthischurchonearthasabodythatisdestinedtoimpact

allofsociety.Andalltheprocessesofsocietyareatitsdisposal.Weareinaplaceof

unprecedentedchangeandunprecedentedopportunitytobethechurchsharinghisgospel.

Afterall,eventheoldestmissionagenciesareonlyabout150yearsold(forinstance,China

InlandMissionwhichisnowOMFisoneofthefirstintoChina).Sohowdidthegospelgetto

Chinabythe6thcenturylongbeforemissionagenciesexisted?Howdidthegospelmove

fromJerusalemtoEuropeortoConstantinopleandBabylon?Ifwelookatthehistoryofthe

churchandthespreadofthegospelweseeapatternemergethatisclearlyreplicabletoday.

Thereisnodoubtthatthechurchofoldhaddifficultieswithgovernmentsandtyrannical

leaderssuchasGenghisKahnandTamerlane,butthegospelprevailedeveninthosedays.

Whatwastherethatallowedthegospeltopermeatetheancientsocieties?Wewantto

suggestthatitwastheancienttraderoutes.ThosetraderoutesallowedlayChristian

businesspeople,sometimesalongwithanecclesiasticalstructure,liketheNestorians,to

movealongthetraderoutessharingthegospel.Therewasapowerinthecombinationof

businessandgospelsharingthatchangedtheworld.

Onecanclearlyseethisphenomenonwhenwelookatmapsofthetraderoutesand

comparethemwiththespreadofthechurch.

MapOneoutlinestheseveral

routesonwhatiscalledthe

SilkRoad.LuceBoulnois,inher

well-researchedbook,holds

thatthePersianNestorians,

whowerepersecutedbythe

Byzantines,wereforced

eastwardandnevertheless

reachedChangan(Xian)China

duringthesixthcentury.20

Moffettreportsthatwhilethey

hadanecclesiasticalstructure,

theywerealsoknownas

merchantswhoopenedtrade

fromPersiatoChina.21An

earlierstoryrelatesthata

Yemenimerchantnamed

HayyanwasonabusinesstripfromHimyaritestoConstantinopleandstoppedatHirawhere

hemetagroupofNestoriansandwasconverted.HereturnedtoYemenandevangelizedhis

Arabfamilyandneighbors.22

MapOne

20

WhiletherewereconstantborderwarsbetweentheByzantinesandPersians(nottheleast

ofwhichwerecontinualbackandforthchargesofapostasybetweenthetwobranchesof

Christianity)thegovernmentalstructureswerealsoatwarmoreoftenthannot.Eveninthat

turbulentsituation,thegospelwentforth:

Inhissixth-century‘LivesoftheEasternSaints,’JohnofEphesustellsthestoryof

ElijahandTheodore,twotraders‘whobesidesworldlytradeengagedmoreoverin

divine[trade]also.’TheywerenativesofAmidaineastSyriaontheRomansideof

thePersianfrontier,butfortwentyyearstheycarriedontheirbusinessinPersia,

addingthewitnessoftheirlivestotheirtestimonytothefaith,forthey‘abstained

entirelyfromtheevilpracticeswhichtradersoftheworldarewanttofollow,thatis

fromoathsofallkinds,andfromlying,andfromextortion,andfromdiverseweights

andmeasures.’23

Soweclearlyseethatinthe

tumultofthemajortrade

routesofold,thegospel

movedasbusinesspeople

faithfullysharedthegood

newsofJesusandlivedupto

biblicalprinciplesofbusiness.

MapTwoshowsthesea-lanes

oftheSpiceRouteaswellas

theSilkRoad.Theastute

readerwillnoticethatthe

areascoveredarequiteakinto

the10/40Windowoftoday’s

missionfocus.

Munsonreports:

ThecorrelationbetweenthepathsoftradeandthespreadofChristianityinAsiamay

beobvious,buttheintentionalityoftherelationshipisnotaseasytorecognize.

However,infact,AsianChristianspurposelyusedtraderoutesaspartoftheir

missionstrategy....ThisismostclearintheworkofNestorianPatriarchYeshuyabII

duringthe7thcentury.HeauthorizedthemissiontoChinautilizingtheoverlandtrade

route,oftenknownastheSilkRoad....Thevisionwastosetupmonasteriesand

churchesina5,000milelongstringacrossthebreadthofAsia,alongtheSilkRoad.

Fromthere,Christianitycouldgointothesurroundingpeoples....24Traderoutes

providedpartofthemethodofmissionaswell.Forexample,amissionteamput

togethertoreachtheHaphthaliteHunsinthe6thcenturywascomposedoftwo

merchants,amissionarybishop,andfourpriests.25Laypeopleservedasmissionaries,

notjustpriests.Thisuseofmerchantsinmissionscouldgobeyondthis.Itis

interestingtonotethatintheearlyAsianchurch,theSyriacwordfor‘merchant’was

usedasametaphorforevangelist.26

MapTwo

21

Itis,therefore,abundantlyclearthatatleastinAsiatheancienttraderouteshelpedthe

spreadofthegospelthroughbusinesspeoplesimplysharingtheirfaithastheyworkedin

theirbusinesses.

MunsongoesontoshowthesimilaritiesofthecountriesbetweenJerusalemandChina

todaywhencomparedwiththefirstfewcenturiesafterChrist.Hestatestheadvantagesof

beingabusiness-persondoingmissionwork:

1. Aclearjustificationfortheirpresence

2. Traveltocosmopolitancentersthataremulti-ethnicandmulticulturalprovidinga

multiculturalenvironmentandthefreedomforpeopletoseekGod

3. Theformofoutreachcanincludeschoolsandhospitalsandimpactalargerscopeof

thepopulation.27

Sowehaveseentheverybeginningofthegospelspreadingbeyondthedisciplesin

Jerusalem.PatrickJohnstoneproposesthat,

Bytheyear1000theNestorianshadspreadfromSyriatoIranandYemenandthen

acrosscentralAsia,Mongolia,Tibet,China,partsofIndia,ThailandandBurma.Itwas

thedominantfaithbetweentheCaspianSeaandthebordersofChina.Therewere

then12millionassociatedwiththisChurchin250dioceses.Bythethirteenthcentury

therewere72metropolitanpatriarchsand200bishopsinChinaandsurrounding

areas.Thisrepresented24%ofallChristiansintheworldofthattime,andover6%of

thepopulationofAsia.28

TheSilkRoadwasaneconomicprizecovetedbymany.29ThoughtheNestorianshadplansto

reachacriticalmassinAsia,theywerenotabletowithstandthecomingMongolandMuslim

conquerors.GenghisKhanusedhissonstoconquertheSilkRoad,butwasnotabletohold

thetradingcenterswithoutputtinghisdaughtersintostrategicmarriageswithlocal

leaders.30WhileweoftenthinkofGenghisKhanandhisdescendantsasfighterstobefeared,

bothGenghisandhisdescendant,KublaiKahnwerequiteopentoamultiplicityofreligions

andeventoChristianityasTheTravelsofMarcoPoloreveals.31Someofhisdaughters,in

strategicmarriages,wereNestorianChristiansthemselves,butoncethenextgeneration

cameintopower,Christianityfailed.

TheMoghulEmpirewasquitedifferentthantheMongols.EmirTamerwasacruelleader

thatgavenoquartertoanyotherreligionbutMuslim.Ifacitywouldnotcapitulate,his

warriorsswoopedinandkilledallmen,women,andchildren.Nexthecutofftheirheads

andpiledthemupatthegatestothecityasamessagetothenextcityheattacked.Asthe

MoghulssweptacrossAsia,notonlyChristianity,butBuddhismandotherreligionswere

wipedout.

4.2Awayforward

Thehistoricalanalysisabovedemonstratesthatthechangingpolitical,legal,andcultural

environmentsincreasinglymakestheconventionalparadigmofmissionthatwehave

22

becomeaccustomedtointhelast150yearsmoreandmorechallenging.Atthishistoric

juncture,insteadofseeingthecurrentsituationasacrisis,weseeitasanopportunitytore-

examineourparadigmofmissionandre-envision.Todoso,wecangoallthewaybackto

therootofglobalmissionmovementinitiatedbytheHolySpirit(Acts1:8;2:2-4).Cross-

culturalmissiondidnotbeginbythechurchsendingoutprofessionalevangelists,butbythe

workoftheHolySpiritinthemidstofordinarysocio-culturalinteractions(Acts2:5-13)and

byChrist-followersmovingtodifferentgeographiclocationsandlivingaswitnessesofChrist

(Acts8:1;11:19).Eventhewell-knownearlychurchmissionaryduo,PaulandBarnabas,were

notfull-timemissionariesintoday’ssenseoftheterm.Instead,theywerebusiness

professionalswhocarriedouttheirbusinesspracticeandfoundopportunitiestosharethe

gospelinthemarketplace(Acts17:17;18:3;1Cor9:6).

InmuchofChristianhistory,missionwasnotanindependentchurchprojectthatisseparate

fromthecommunity’slivelihood.Rather,missionandlifewereintricatelylinkedtogether.In

otherwords,themessageofthegospelwasembeddedineverydaylife.Throughthegospel,

theKingdomofGodinvadedeverysphereoflife.

4.3Quakers

AmorerecentexampleofhowtheGospelwaslivedouttheinthecontextofbusinessand

hadatransformativeeffectonthesocietycanbefoundamongasmallChristiansectcalled

Quakers.AlthoughQuakersalwaysremainedarelativelysmallsectofProtestantChristianity,

theyhadanoutsizedimpactonbusiness.Inmanyways,theywerewealthcreatorsthathad

holisticallytransformativeimpactonsociety.

QuakerismisamovementofcharismaticChristiansthatbeganinEnglandinmid-

seventeenthcentury.Whiletheyareoftenperceivedasquiet,peace-lovingandpassive

people,therealityisfarfromthetruth.Historically,Quakershavebeenactivesocial

reformers.Forexample,theyopenlyopposedslaveryandadvocatedequalrightsforwomen

andreligiousfreedomforallfaithgroups.

BecausetheChurchofEnglandaswellasthePuritanspersecutedQuakers,therewasvery

littleopportunityforthemtoparticipateinpoliticsorevenacademia.So,mostQuakers

pursuedwhatwasevidentlytheleastdiscriminatoryvocation—commerce.Theybuiltlasting

businessesandtransformedbusinesscultureonbothsidesoftheAtlantic.Someofthe

businessesthatQuakersfoundedarestillhouseholdnamesinBritishcommerce(egBarclays

Bank,CadburyChocolate,32Lloyd’sBank,ClarksBostonian,etc).

Interestingly,despitetheirdeepcommitmenttothegospel,Quakersarenotknownfortheir

missionaryzeal.Infact,someQuakertheologianswereskepticalofevangelisticworks.In

Quakertheology,theGreatCommandmenttoloveGodandloveotherstakesprecedence

overtheGreatCommission.Forexample,aQuakertheologianarguesthatthebestwitness

isagroupofdedicatedChristianslivingoutthegospeland“savingsoulsbecomeaby-

productoffollowingGod’sleading.”33Therefore,beingawitnessisaboutproclaimingthe

totalgospelexpressedinthecreationofhealthycommunityofbelieversandtheministryof

caring.

23

Thispursuitoftotalgospelthroughtheministryofcaringisevidentinthebusinesspractices

ofmanyQuakerestablishments.EntrepreneurslikeJosephRowntreeandRichardCadbury

werepioneersinprogressiveindustrialrelationsandpeople-management.RichardCadbury

‘alwaysfeltthat,afterhisfamily,hisfirstresponsibilitywastowardsthosewhoworkedfor

him...andneverconsideredhisobligationstowardsthemceasedwhenhehadpaidthem

theirwages.’34Tocareforhisemployees,hemaintainedhisfactoriescleanandsafe,and

triedtomaketheworkspaceahappyspace.Heinstitutedapaidhalf-holidayforworkers

eachweekduringthesummer,andprovidedeveningclassesforprofessionaldevelopment

twiceaweek.BothRowntreeandCadburyinvestedinbuildingaffordablequalityhousingin

thecommunitieswhereworkerslived.

TheQuakerbusinesseshadatransformativeeffectonbusinessculture,especially,onlabor

relations.WhiletheyalsoledmorningBiblestudieswiththeirworkers,theirprimary

‘ministry’wasembodyingbiblicalprinciplesintheirmanagementpracticeandcreatinga

caringorganization.TheQuakerbusinessleaders’intentionalefforttointegratebusiness

andlifehadalastingimpactonmodernbusinesscultureaswellasthelivesthatthey

touched.

Quakerbusinesseswerealsouniqueintheirgroomingofthenextgenerationbusiness

leaders.BecauseQuakerswereexcludedfromeducationalestablishmentsasteachers,they

emphasizedtransferringknowledgethroughapprenticeship.Itwasnotuncommontosenda

nextgenerationleadertootherQuakerbusinesses(evenindifferentindustries)tolearnthe

businessasapprentices.Thepracticeofexchangeapprenticeshipnaturallycreatedclose-

knitnetworksofstrongpersonaltiesamongQuakerbusinessleaders.Thesepersonal

networksgeneratedknowledgesharingandmoralsaswellaspracticalsupportstoQuaker

entrepreneurs.Moreover,forQuakers,therewasnodichotomybetweenchurchand

business.Forexample,atthemonthlyandquarterlymeetingsthatbroughtmanylocal

churchestogether,themembersoftherelatedindustrieswouldgathertogether.These

regularsocialinteractionsalsocreatedopportunitiesforanexchangeofinformationon

tradeaswellaseducationoftheyoungergeneration.

WhiletheQuakersshowtheeffectsofgoodbusinesspracticeswithinthechurch,others

showthenaturaluseofbusinesswithinmission.

4.4MoraviansandBasel

TheMoravians,alsocalledtheBrethren,wereapersecutedgroupthatleftMoraviaand

foundedacommunitycalledHerrnhutonthegroundsofCountZinzendorf’slandinwhatis

nowGermany.Theyweretypicallyartisansandtradesmen.Astheyprayedandwereledby

theHolySpirit,theycaughtamissionaryfervorthatledthemtobegintothinkofother

peoplewhohadnothadtheopportunitytohearthegospel.

SixtyyearsbeforeCareyleftforIndiaand150yearsbeforeHudsonTaylorlandedin

China,theMoraviansalreadyhaddispatchedtwomissionariestotheWestIndian

islandofSt.ThomastospreadthegospelofJesusChrist.Withintwentyyearsofthe

commencementoftheirmissionaryactivities,theMoravianBrethrenhadstarted

24

moremissionsthanAnglicansandotherProtestantshadduringthetwopreceding

centuries.35

Theirmissionarystrategywastent-making.Whenthemissionarywentouttheywere

providedtheirfare,butnosupportmoney.Asartisans,theyquicklygotjobsorstarted

businessestoprovidefortheirneeds.ItwasSarasin,fromthelikemindedBaselEvangelical

MissionSocietywho,inalettertoIndiain1854,articulatedbesttheprinciplesofthis

‘missionarycommerce’whenhewrote:

TheBusinessarmoftheMissionisnotjustanaidtomissionsbutitisthemissionitself

• amissionnotthroughpreachingbutthroughthepowerofexample

• amissionofrevealingChristianityinpracticallifesituations

• amissiondoingeverythingpossibletomakegodlinessvisible

• AmissionthatshowsChristianitytohavepromisenotonlyforthelifetocome

butalsoforthislife36

LiketheMoravians,asBasel’scommercialactivitiesdeveloped,theyrealizedtheirvaluewas

aReibungsflache,astheyputit,africtionsurfaceinthecommunity.Thatis,apowerto

influenceandmakeanimpactonthepeople.37

LiketheMoravianstheyunderstoodastheMoravianWeissputit,‘Demonstrationis

asimportantasproclamationintheChristianWorldMission’andChristian

businessmenpracticingtheir‘faithactiveinlove’inthedailyaffairsofthemarket

placewere(andforustodayare)apowerfulaudio-visualaidtoChristianmission.38

Thiswasnotonlyinchurchservicesbutalsowhereitreallymatters—inthemarketplaceand

ontheplantation.

WehaveseenhowbusinesshasbeenusedbyGodinthepasttobothspreadthegospeland

alleviatepovertyinournot-so-distantpast.Nowweturntotodaytolookatcurrent

examplesofbusinessalleviatingpoverty.

5.0BusinessthatAlleviatesPoverty

TheUNandotherinternationalbodiesdefinepovertyintermsofanamountofmoney

earnedeachday.Wehaveseenfromthefirstpartofthispaperthatnumberisinsufficient

forpeople,createdinGod’simage,toflourish.Businesscan,andshould,createaclimateof

flourishingthatgoesbeyondsimplyajobtokeeppovertyatbay.Followingareseveral

examplesofbusinessesandtheirmeasurementofimpact.Wehaveutilizedarevisedversion

ofthe‘grid’fromMeasuringBAMImpact.39

Wealthcreationforholistictransformationgrid

Thepurposeofthisgridistohelpwealthcreatorstounderstandwheretheyareintermsof

theirholistictransformationimpactandbemorestrategicandintentionalabouttheir

impact.

25

• Bystrategicwemeanthatwealthcreatorscanbetterunderstandthecontextfor

holistictransformationimpact(egidentifyingtargetaudienceaswellastargetareas

ofinjustice/need;understandingtheirstrengthsandweaknesses)usingthegrid.

• Byintentionalwemeanthatwealthcreatorscanbetterunderstandwheretheyare

andbemorepurposefulaboutwheretheywanttobeintermsofholistic

transformationimpact.

WebelievethatHolySpirit-ledwealthcreatorscancomeinallshapesandsizes.What

mattersistheentrepreneurs’commitmenttoChristandhiskingdomandtheirintentionfor

holistictransformation.Therefore,wedidnotcreatethegridtojudgewhichtypeofwealth

creatingorganizationsarebetter.Instead,thegridiscreatedtocapturethediversityof

wealthcreatorswhoareimpactingtheworldstrategicallyandintentionallyintheirunique

contexts.Intheend,wehopetoaffirmandempowerallofGod’swealthcreatorsinwhat

theydobygivingthemthetoolstounderstandwheretheyareintermsoftheirholistic

transformationimpactandbemorestrategicandintentionalabouttheirimpact.Pleasesee

Appendix1forafurtherdescriptionoftheGridanditsuse.

6.0BusinessCases

6.1BusinessoneBusinessnameandcountry:TheGivingKeys(TGK),USA40

BusinessSynopsis:TGKwasfoundedbyCaitlinCrosby,asinger-songwriterwhomadea

simplenecklacewithakeychainonitandgotawordstampedonitatalocksmith.Havinga

heartforthepoorsheemployedsomehomelessfriendsofherstostartmakingthese

customizedkeychainnecklaceswhichshesoldwhiletouring.Nowfiveyearslatertheyarea

multi-milliondollarbusinessemployingmanyhomelesspeopleandhelpingthemtransition

outofpoverty.Theirmodelisthepay-it-forwardprinciple.Youbuyakeywithaword

stampedonitthatismeaningfultoyou—ieLove,Brave,Hope—thenwhenyoumeet

someonewhoneedsencouragement,yougivethemyourkey.

BusinessModel:TGKemployshomelesspeoplewhoareintheChrysalisemployment

programinLosAngelestoworkintheproductionoftheirproducts.Theyalsodoextensive

coachinganddevelopmentoftheirhomelessstafftoensurethattheygetnotjustajobbut

alsothesupporttheyneedtothrive.

Management/ownership:Local

Poverty:Theyhaveprovidedpracticaljobsforhundredsofhomelesspeopleovertheyears

sincetheystarted.

Scalabilityandsustainability:Theyhavebeeninbusinesssince2008and,atthetimeof

writingthis,aregrossingover4millionUSDannuallyinsales.

26

ASampleGrid:

6.2BusinesstwoBusinessName&Country:Farms,SoutheastAsiaBusinessSynopsis:FarmsisacoffeebusinessinSoutheastAsiarunbyaDutchcouple.They

providecoffeeseedlingstoseveralmountaincommunities,buyallthecoffeeproducedat

fairprices,roastthecoffee,andsellitbothinSoutheastAsiaandHolland.Theyarealso

developingotherbrandssuchaspeanutbutter.

BusinessModel:Farmshasbuiltthe

businessaroundbiblicalbusiness

principles,andseveraltribal

communitieshavebeenblessed.

Fromthisvision,theyhavebeguna

missiontobelievinglocalpastorsina

neighboringcountrytotrainthemin

sustainablebusinessprocesses,

whichmaynotbecoffee,buta

productthatwillsellintheircountry.

ManagementandOwnership:While

foreignersbeganthecompany,thereislocalmanagementaswellasofficiallocalownership.

TheDutchcouplemanagestheinternationalsalesandprovidesthestrategytogrowthe

company.

Training:Farmshasprovidedtrainingforlocalcommunityfarmersincropmanagementand

organicproductionprocesses.Localpeopledoalltheworkofprocessingthecoffeebeansas

wellasroastingandpackaging.TheonlyforeignersinvolvedinthefarmaretheDutch

couple.

SpiritualPoverty:Thecompanyismanagedwithclearbiblicalprinciplesandalsoprovides

Biblestudiesforstaff.Forinstance,whenakeyemployeewasinjuredandoffworkforan

27

extendedtime,theaveragecompanywouldhavefoundareplacement.Instead,Farmskept

hisjobforhim.Thatexampleledtheemployeetogrowinhisfaithandseekbaptism.All

staffistreatedwiththecompassionofChristastheylearnsolidworkprinciplesand

productionoftheproduct.

PovertyAlleviation:Inadditiontotheindividualswhoarepaidatthefarmheadquartersfor

theirworkproducingthecoffeebeansfromthecoffeecherries,eachcommunityhasthe

incomeoftheproductionandsaleofthecoffeecherries.Whenthecropisripe,the

communityfarmersbringthecoffeetoFarms,anditisweighedandpaidforimmediatelyat

fairmarketprices.Whethertheproductionisampleorfew,allthecoffeeispurchasedso

thecommunitiesknowtheywillhaveanincomefromtheirwork.Manypeoplearealso

employedintheprocessingofthecoffeebeans.

Scalability:Localpastorsfromanearbycountryheardaboutdevelopingbusinessforgodly

purposesandcametobetrainedinthemethodsofbuildingtribalcommunitiesthrough

business.TheDutchcouplehavetakenthesetraineesinandprovidedthemwithnewskills

andunderstandingofhowtoworkintribalareas.Theyaregoingbacktotheircountry

startingbusinesses,whichmaynotproducecoffee,butwillproducegoodbusinessthat

reducespovertyinthosecommunities,aswellassharingbiblicalfaith.

ASampleGrid:6.3BusinessThreeBusinessnameandcountry:5Loaves2Fish(5L2F)fishfarmandMother’sFishChoice

(MFC)cookedfishstallsinGhana.41

BusinessSynopsis:5L2FGhanaisinthebusinessesofsmallfishaquaculturefarms,fish

distribution,fishprocessing,andfoodstalls.Theproductsarefreshandcookedfarmedfish.

Thescaleandformatofthefishfarmsaresmallanddistributedalloverthecountry.The

customersofthefishfarmsaretheirdownstreambusinesses,namelyMFC,ofwhichthe

partnersareyoungentrepreneursfromlocalchurches,singlewomenandwidowsinlocal

communities,whichalsoserveastheirtargetmarket/customers.

28

BusinessModel:Thebusinessmodelof5L2Fisbasedonthecreationandintegrationoffish

businessesthatgenerateincome.Theirtargetis500farmsin10years.Theyattemptto

meetthequadruplebottomlinesofBusiness-for-transformation(B4T).Therefore,theyaim

tohavefinancial,environmental,socialandspiritualimpacts.

Financialaspect:

1. Domesticfishsupplycanmeetlessthan50percentofthelocaldemandinGhana.

2. Theuseoftechnologyallowstheestablishmentofbetterfarms.

3. Themodernfarmingoffish-in-demandcreatesareasonableprofitmarginwhilethe

verticalbusinessintegrationfurthersthis.

Environmentalaspect:

1. Environmentallyfriendly,thisfarmmainlyuseslowcostduckweed,moringa,local

cornsetctokeeplowcostonfeedandenvironmentalfriendly.

2. Thefarmsusefermentationoffruitskintoprocessfishmanureandaddnutrients

andflavorstothefishinanorganicmanner.

3. Thismodelofnumeroussmallfarmssupportthepracticeofsupplyingandeating

localandreducingthecarbonfootprintfromouroperation,suchasthenegative

impactasaresultofdistantdistribution.�

SocialAspect:

1. Creationofmorejobopportunities:Thefishproducewillnotbesoldtoawholesaler,

butwillbedistributedthroughlocalwomen’sgroups(deprivedwomensuchassingle

womenorwidows)byMFCcookedfishstallsinthestreet.Excessfishwillbe

distributedbytheyoungpeople’sgrouptothecornershopsinthecommunity.Itis

smallscalewholesaletotheneighborhood.

2. Furtherempowerment:MFCwilldevelopothersmallbusinessessuchasbaking

bread.Thebreadwillbedistributedbytheentrepreneurgroupanddeprivedwomen.

Spiritualaspect:

ThefarmswillallowmissionariesfromMainlandChinatoworktogetherwithGhanaiansto

providealivingforbothandsharethegospelinanaturalmanner.Additionallytheywill

provideincometolocalchurchestherebystrengtheningthem.

Management/ownership:5L2FwasfoundedbyDrTitusYu,fromHongKong,PrudentialSr

RegionalDirector;PastorDavid,seniorpastorofMalaysiachurch,familybusinessinfishing

sellingover10millionfish/yr;BroEric,businessmaninCanadaonfinancialmanagement,

livedinGhanaoverfiveyears,fatherwasdoingbusinessinGhanaforover30years;Several

partnershipsareincludedinthebusiness:LocalGhanaiansandoverseasChinese,thelocal

churchesandsupportoflocaldeprivedwomenaswellasyoungpeoplefromthechurch

entrepreneurgroup.Theywilleventuallyhaveotherproductssuchasfruit,goats,andcows.

Poverty:Ghanahasapopulationof28.5million.Thenumberofpeoplelivinginpovertyis

6.4millionincluding3.7millionchildren.In15years,thelevelofpovertyinthepoorest

regionhasfallenonlyfrom55.7percentto50.4percent(24.2percentnationally).425L2Fand

29

MFC,throughtheirreplicationanddistributionofsmall-scalefarmandfishstalls,impact

directlyontheremoteregionsofGhana.Eachsmallfarmcanemployfivefarmers,plusfive

youngpeoplefromthechurchentrepreneurgroupdistributingfish.Afarmwillsupportand

empowertenwomentorunfishstalls.Forfivehundredfarms,overtenthousandpeople

willbebeneficiaries.Traininginfishfarming,vegetablefarming,farmoperationand

management,fishstallstartupandbusinessethicsareprovidedforlocal

partners/employees.

Scalabilityandsustainability:

1. Replicationsofsmallfarms:5L2Ftrainsuplocalpeopletorunsmall-scalefarms.

2. Scalabilitybymultiplyingthesmallfarmsspreadingaroundthecountry.

3. Theyemploymodernmethodsformaintainingqualitymanagementandoperationof

newfarms.

4. Co-operative.Theestablishmentoffivehundredsmallfarmsoveraperiodoften

yearswouldallowtheformationofaco-operativetosupportindividualfarms.

TheGrid:

�

6.4SupportingYoungBAMleaders:InternationalBAMorganization

WeproposetocreateaninternationalBAMorganizationtofacilitatementoringfromsenior

leaderstoyoungeraswellasaprocesstohelpsuchyoungleadersstarttheirbusinesses.We

willcallit:B2K,orBusiness2Kingdom.

Theeffectivenessofbusinessleadersinwealthcreationforthekingdomisnotbeing

funneledadequatelyintoBAMinitiatives.Themainreasonforthisisthemultiplicityof

understandingsonhowtodoit.Oneofthemostsuccessfulstoriesofforumsforbusiness

discussionandeducationintheworldhasbeenYoungPresidents`Organization(YPO).

YPOconceptscouldbelinkedtotheChristianWealthCreatorsinaformthatwouldenablea

moreeffectivetransformationofbrutewealthintorealmissions.

30

Thisconceptisbasedon3pillars.These3pillarswouldbeunitedintoalocal,nationaland

supra-nationalorganizationthatwecoulddefineas“B2K”(BusinesstoKingdom).

Forumsaregroupsofnolessthanfour

andnomorethan12BAMersthatget

togetheronceamonthinordertopray,

exchangeexperience,andcoacheach

otherasaBoardofAdvisors.Thelocal

structurecanbeinitiatedbyanygroup

ofChristianBusinessmenwhohave

experiencewiththeirowncompanies

thatexhibitBAMvaluesanddonothave

conflictsofinterest.

WhenaForumovergrowsits12maximum,orwhenevertheForumseestheneed,itcan

multiply.OncemorethanoneForumexists,aChapterisformed.TheChapteristhelocal

(cityormetroarea)gatheringofForums,inamoreorganizedway.AChapterisformedwith

atleasttwoForums.AChapterwillhaveasitsmissiontocreateotherForumsinother

metroareas,andtoleadthecreationofanewChapterinthatregion.TheChapterswilllead

toaNationalOrganizationforBAM.

Thisorganizationwillbeself-fundedbyduescollectedtoruntheForums,Chaptersand

NationalOrganization.Referralsareoftendoneinbusiness.Inthiscase,referralsamong

memberscouldgeneratefeesthatwouldsupporttheorganization.

7.0Conclusion

Wehaveshownthatbusinessdoesreducepoverty,butwealsobelievethatthestatisticsare

barebones.Peoplecannotthriveon1.50-1.90USDperday.Webelievethatcreatingreal

wealthiswhatGoddesiresfromus:wealththatblessesfamilies,communities,and

countries.Thatblessingincludessharingfaithandlove,providingjobsthataremeaningful

andreflectthecreativenessofourGod.Buildingbusinessisforthelonghaul—sustainable

andscalable.

Wehavetakenexamplesfromthepastoftheinvolvementofchurchandagency.Wehave

providedtheexampleofthreebusinessesfromtoday,outliningwhattheydo.Withtheidea

ofTheGridwehavegivenasampleofhowwemightlookatandmeasuretheimpactofa

businessthatreducespoverty,providingsocial,spiritual,andenvironmentalgood.

TheGridprovidesawayforanyonetomeasuretheirbusinessinthesamewayand

determineapathforwardforamoreeffectivebusinessmodel.

Wehavealsoofferedanideatotrainthenextgenerationtodevelopbusinessesthattruly

blesspeople,reducingpovertyandcreatingfutureleaders.

Wetrustthattheseexampleswillsparkthechurchandbusinesscommunitytoconsiderhow

theymightaffirm,align,andreleasewealthcreatorstotheministryofthegospel.

WealthCreators’Forums Referrals

BAMFund(s)

31

Appendix1

WealthCreationforHolisticTransformationGrid

Thepurposeofthisgridistohelpwealthcreatorstounderstandwheretheyareintermsof

theirholistictransformationimpactandbemorestrategicandintentionalabouttheir

impact.

1. Bystrategicwemeanthatwealthcreatorscanbetterunderstandthecontextfor

holistictransformationimpact(egidentifyingtargetaudienceaswellastargetareas

ofinjustice/need;understandingtheirstrengthsandweaknesses)usingthegrid

2. Byintentionalwemeanthatwealthcreatorscanbetterunderstandwheretheyare

andbemorepurposefulaboutwheretheywanttobeintermsofholistic

transformationimpact.

WebelievethatHolySpirit-ledwealthcreatorscancomeinallshapesandsizes.What

mattersistheentrepreneurs’commitmenttoChristandhiskingdomandtheirintentionfor

holistictransformation.Therefore,wedidnotcreatethegridtojudgewhichtypeofwealth

creatingorganizationsarebetter.Instead,thegridiscreatedtocapturethediversityof

wealthcreatorswhoareimpactingtheworldstrategicallyandintentionallyintheirunique

contexts.Intheend,wehopetoaffirmandempowerallofGod’swealthcreatorsinwhat

theydobygivingthemthetoolstounderstandwheretheyareintermsoftheirholistic

transformationimpactandbemorestrategicandintentionalabouttheirimpact.

WealthCreatorsPositionalGrid

ThisgridaimstovisualizeandcelebratethediversityofGod’swealthcreators.Dependingon

thecontext(eggeographiclocation,targetaudienceetc),wealthcreatorscanhaveeither

explicitorimplicitmissionalidentity.So,thex-axisrepresentshowmissionalidentityis

expressed.Wealthcreatorscanalsohavemoreexplicit(egfreedombusinessdesignedto

combathumantrafficking)orimplicitholistictransformationimpact(egseekingtoinfluence

culturethroughhonestbusinesspractices).So,they-axisrepresentshowholistic

transformationimpactisexpressed.Thesizeofthecirclerepresentsthesizeofbusiness(ie

numberofemployees).Weplot12fictionalcompaniesontothegridandexplainwhateach

ofthequadrantrepresents.

QuadrantA(Upperleft)

1. Explicitholistictransformationimpactandimplicitmissionalidentity.

2. EgSocialenterprisesincreative-accesscountrieswhereexplicitexpressionoffaithis

difficult.

QuadrantB(Upperright)

1. Explicitholistictransformationimpactandexplicitmissionalidentity.

2. EgFreedombusinessinSouthAsiathathasexplicitmissionalidentityandaclear

socialgoal.

32

QuadrantC(Bottomleft)

1. Implicitholistictransformationimpactandimplicitmissionalidentity.

2. EgBusinessinMENAareathatareinfluencingtheculturethroughbiblicalbusiness

practices.

QuadrantD(Bottomright)

1. Implicitholistictransformationimpactandexplicitmissionalidentity.

2. EgExcellentbusinessesinopenaccesscountriesthatcanarticulatetheirfaith

identitywhoimpactinthesocietyismoreimplicit.

ByplottingSpirit-led

wealthcreating

businessesontothisgrid,

wesimplyshowthat

therearemanydifferent

typesofwealthcreators.

Wehopewecan

celebrateandempower

alldifferentformsof

wealthcreatorstohave

holistictransformation

impactintheirunique

contexts.Thegridcan

alsobeusedasatoolfor

wealthcreatorsto

identifywheretheyare

andstrategicallyplan

wheretheywanttobe

(seebelowexamplefor

CompanyAandB).

HolisticTransformationScoringChartandGrid

Thequestionshelpyouassesswhereyouareintermsofholistictransformationandplan

whereyouwanttobe.Eachofthefourimpactindicesprovideascorewitharangeof-2to2.

Inthischartandgrid,theindexscorebelowzeromeansnegativeimpactthatwealth

33

creatorsneedtoaddress.WeplottheHolisticTransformationGridusingthesefourindex

scores.

Not

at

all

Not

reallySomewhat

Moderate

Yes

Strong

Yes

Economic

Reporting:Arewebeing

transparentandaccountable

withourfinancialmatters?

1 2 3 4 5

Stewardship:Arewebeing

goodstewardsofthemoney

thathasbeeninvestedwith

us?

1 2 3 4 5

Sustainability:Dowehavethe

cashweneedtooperateand

meetourcommitmentsandis

itlikelythatwewillcontinue

tobesolventinthecoming

year?

1 2 3 4 5

Momentum:Arewebooking

anddevelopingbusiness?1 2 3 4 5

Scalability:Arewe

intentionallyandcreatively

buildingcapacityforgrowth?

(Isa54:2-5)

1 2 3 4 5

(A)EconomicTotal=

Social

JobCreation:Areweincreasing

jobcreationpotentialinthe

supplychain?

1 2 3 4 5

PeopleDevelopment:How

effectivelyarewecaringfor

anddevelopingour

employees?

1 2 3 4 5

ScalablePositiveCultural

Impact:Areweinfluencingthe

culturewithbiblicalvalues?

1 2 3 4 5

34

Community:Arewetangibly

improvingthequalityoflifein

ourcommunity?

1 2 3 4 5

(B)SocialTotal=

Spiritual

SpiritualGrowth:Arewe

contextuallyhelpingpeopleto

makeprogressontheir

spiritualjourney?

1 2 3 4 5

CommitmenttoMission:Are

wedevelopingpeopleand

governancestructureto

sustainthemissionofthe

organization?

1 2 3 4 5

MissionFocus:Arewedoing

whatwesetouttodo?Arewe

beingresponsivetoGod’scall

andtheSpirit’sleading?

1 2 3 4 5

(C)SpiritualTotal=

Environmental

Impact:Areweintentionally

minimizingournegative

impactontheenvironment?

1 2 3 4 5

Sustainability:Arewe

intentionallyenhancingthe

abilityoffuturegenerationsto

enjoyandmeettheirown

needsfromGod’screation?

1 2 3 4 5

(D)EnvironmentalTotal=

EconomicImpactIndex=

(A/5)-3 SocialImpactIndex=(B/4)-3

SpiritualImpactIndex=(C/3)-3 EnvironmentalImpactIndex=

(D/2)-3

CompositeHolisticTransformationScore=

(A+B+C+D)/7

35

HolisticTransformationGridExample

Economic

ImpactIndex

Social

Impact

Index

Spiritual

Impact

Index

Environmental

ImpactIndex

Company

A -1.6 1.5 1.8 -1.2

Company

B 1.6 -0.5 1.4 -1

Economic

ImpactIndex

Social

Impact

Index

Spiritual

Impact

Index

Environmental

ImpactIndex

Company

C

1.5 1 1.8 1.3

Company

D

1 2 -0.5 0

36

37

Appendix2

ConsultationonWealthCreation(CWC):BackgroundandContextTheCWCwasnotjustanevent.TheConsultationheldinThailand,inMarch2017,wasapart

ofaconsultativeprocess,whichinturnispartofbroader,longer,andon-going

conversationsrelatedtoissueslikethechurch,business,poverty,wealthcreation,and

missions.

Therefore,itisimportanttounderstandthebackgroundandcontextofeachCWCreport.

Theyareimportantpiecesofabiggerpuzzle.Tounderstandthepicturethatisemerging,as

weputthepiecestogether,oneneedstoseesomeoftheotherkeypieces.

TheCWCisyetanotheroutcomeofthehistoriccommitmentsadoptedintheLausanne

Covenantof1974.Here,whilecommittingthemselvestotheimportanceofevangelism,

evangelicalsalsoexpressedrepentancefor‘havingsometimesregardedevangelismand

socialconcernasmutuallyexclusive’.Wealthcreationfortheeconomicbettermentofour

worldisoneofthoseneglectedsocialconcerns;anditisthisthattheCWCaddresses.

AllCWCparticipantswerepresentedwithalistofrequiredreading.Thesereadingsall

relatedtotheCWCassignmentofexploringtheRoleofWealthCreationinHolistic

TransformationofPeopleandSocieties.

TheCWCwaspartlyafollowupoftheLausanneGlobalConsultationonProsperityTheology,

PovertyandtheGospelheldinApril2014.Thus,allneededtobefamiliarwiththeAtibaiaStatement:https://www.lausanne.org/content/statement/atibaia-statement(more

informationbelow).

TheLausanneGlobalConsultationonWealthCreationwasincollaborationwithBAMGlobal,andthussomeofitsworkandreportswereincludedintherequiredreading.

‘WhyBotherwithBusinessasMission’,byMatsTunehaghttp://matstunehag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Why-Bother-with-Business-as-

Mission-v-18-April-2017.pdf

TheexecutivesummariesofthreeBAMThinkTankReports

• BiblicalFoundationsforBusinessasMission

http://bamglobal.org/report-biblical/

• BusinessasMissionandtheendofPoverty

http://bamglobal.org/report-bop/

• BusinessasMissioninHaiti

http://bamglobal.org/report-haiti/

38

CWCislinkedwiththreeotherglobalconsultationsthatdealtwithsimilarissues,held2004,

2009,and2014.

TheLausanneBAMIssueGroup

ThefirstBAMGlobalThinkTankwasheldundertheauspicesofLausanne.TheBusinessas

MissionIssueGroupworkedforayear,addressingissuesrelatingtoGod’spurposesforwork

andbusiness,theroleofbusinesspeopleinchurchandmissions,theneedsoftheworldand

thepotentialresponseofbusiness.ItsummarizeditsfindingsintheBAMManifesto(2004).Hereareafewexcerpts,toillustrateagrowingconsensusamongleadersthatwealth

creatorsarecalledbyGodtoserveinbusiness.

• WebelievethatGodhascreatedallmenandwomeninHisimagewiththeabilityto

becreative,creatinggoodthingsforthemselvesandforothers—thisincludes

business.

• WebelieveinfollowinginthefootstepsofJesus,whoconstantlyandconsistentlymet

theneedsofthepeopleheencountered,thusdemonstratingtheloveofGodandthe

ruleofHiskingdom.

• WebelievethattheHolySpiritempowersallmembersoftheBodyofChristtoserve,tomeettherealspiritualandphysicalneedsofothers,demonstratingthekingdomof

God.

• WebelievethatGodhascalledandequippedbusinesspeopletomake

aKingdomdifferenceinandthroughtheirbusinesses.

• WebelievethattheGospelhasthepowertotransformindividuals,communitiesand

societies.Christiansinbusinessshouldthereforebeapartofthisholistic

transformationthroughbusiness.

• Werecognisethefactthatpovertyandunemploymentareoftenrampantinareas

wherethenameofJesusisrarelyheardandunderstood.

• Werecognisethatthereisaneedforjobcreationandformultiplicationof

businessesallovertheworld,aimingatthequadruplebottomline:spiritual,

economical,socialandenvironmentaltransformation.

• Werecognisethefactthatthechurchhasahugeandlargelyuntappedresourcein

theChristianbusinesscommunitytomeetneedsoftheworld—inandthrough

business—andbringglorytoGodinthemarketplaceandbeyond.

• SeealsoBAMManifesto:http://matstunehag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/BAM-MANIFESTO-2.pdf

WheatonConsultation

AglobalconsultationonBusinessasIntegralCallingwasheldinWheaton,IllinoisinOctober

2009.Itbroughttogetherleadersfromtherealmsofbusiness,non-profitorganizations,and

Christianministrywiththeologiansandacademicleadersinbusiness,economics,and

missions.ExcerptsfromtheDeclaration:

39

• Lamentations

• Welamentthatthechurchandbusinessitselfhaveundervaluedbusinessasavehicle

forlivingoutChrist’scalling,andhavereliedexcessivelyonnon-profitapproaches

thathaveresultedindependence,waste,andanunnecessarylossofhumandignity.

• CelebrationofFaithandHope

• WecelebratethegrowingmovementofpeopleseekingtobeusedbyGodandto

deploybusinesseconomicactivityforGod’sKingdom.

• Businesscancreatevalue,providethedignityofwork,andtransformcommunitiesby

improvinglivelihoods.

• BusinesscanbeanintegralcallingtoproclaimanddemonstratetheKingdomofGod

byhonoringGod,lovingpeople,andservingtheworld.

• Businesscanalsoprovideapowerfulopportunityforthetransformationofindividuals

toachievetheirfullpotentialforcreativityandproductivityandtoflourishand

experiencealifeofabundanceasenvisionedbytheKingdomofGod.

• BusinesscanbeusedtohelprestoreGod’screationfromitsdegradedstate.

• ItisourdeepconvictionthatbusinessesthatfunctioninalignmentwiththecorevaluesoftheKingdomofGodareplayingandincreasinglyshouldplayanimportantroleinholistictransformationofindividuals,communitiesandsocieties.

• SeealsoWheatonDeclaration:http://matstunehag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Wheaton-Declaration.pdf

AtibaiaConsultation

WealthcreationanddistributionwerediscussedaspartoftheLausanneGlobalConsultationonProsperityTheology,PovertyandtheGospelheldinAtibaia,Brazilin2014.Theconsultationaffirmedthatsharingwealthisgoodandbiblical,butwealthdistributionis

toooftenourmainresponsetomeetingpeoples’needs.Itidentifiedtheneedtoseek

increasinglytounderstandhowbusinessescanbringsolutionstoglobalissues,including

povertyandhumantrafficking.Thenotionofsimplicityasauniversalvaluewasalso

challenged,andneededtobeaddressedfurther.

TheAtibaiaStatementisquitelong,buthereareafewexcerptsrelatedtowealthcreation,businessandthepoor.

• Christiansarecallednotonlytogiveandsharegenerously,buttoworkforthe

alleviationofpoverty.Thisshouldincludeofferingalternative,ethicalways,forthe

creationofwealthandthemaintenanceofsocially-responsiblebusinessesthat

empowerthepoorandprovidematerialbenefit,andindividualandcommunal

dignity.Thismustalwaysbedonewiththeunderstandingthatallwealthandall

creationbelongfirstandforemosttoGod.

40

• Weacknowledgethat,intheglobalmarketeconomy,oneofthemosteffectivetools

fortheeliminationofpovertyiseconomicdevelopment,andyetevangelicalshave

oftenfailedtopromotevalue-drivenbusinesssolutionstopoverty.

• Howcanwemoreeffectivelyworkfortheestablishmentofcreative,ethical,and

sustainablebusinessendeavorsinthefightagainstpoverty?

• SeealsoAtibaiaStatement:https://www.lausanne.org/content/statement/atibaia-

statement

41

Endnotes

1

Editor’sNote:IntheManifesto,‘Church’(withuppercase)and‘church’(withlowercase)areused

intentionally,theformerdenotingtheglobalChurchandthelatterthelocalchurch.2

SeeMichaelPorter,‘WhyBusinessCanbeGoodatSolvingProblems’,TedTalks,

https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_porter_why_business_can_be_good_at_solving_social_problems.

3

MaxRoserandEstebanOrtiz-Ospina,GlobalExtremePoverty,PublishedonlineatOurWorldInData.org(2017),

accessedFebruary2017,https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty/.

4

Singapore,Taiwan,SouthKoreaandHongKong.Seehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Asian_Tigers.

5

https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty/.

6

MaxRoser,GlobalEconomicInequality,https://ourworldindata.org/global-economic-inequality.

7

Ibid.8

BorisYeltsin,TheStruggleforRussia,trans.CatherineA.Fitzpatrick(Moscow:SinbadPublishing,2015).

9

SeeRongDeng,DengXiaopingandtheCulturalRevolution:ADaughterRecallstheCriticalYears(Beijing:

ForeignLanguagesPress,2005);andseeXiaopingDeng,X.‘SelectedWorksofDengXiaoping:WeShall

ConcentrateonEconomicDevelopment’(1982),InternetArchive,accessedFebruary2017,

https://archive.org/stream/SelectedWorksOfDengXiaopingVol.3/Deng03_djvu.txt.

10

ThomasL.Friedman,TheWorldisFlat:ABriefHistoryoftheTwenty-FirstCentury(NewYork:Farrar,Straus

andGiroux,2005).11

QuoteextractedfromtranscriptofresearchinterviewforNoraHughes,‘ChangingFaces:HighlySkilled

ChineseWorkersandtheCulturalAdaptationRequiredtoWorkataForeignMulti-NationalCorporation’(PhD

diss.,FieldingUniversity,2007).

12

UsedwithpermissionfromBusiness4Blessing,https://b4blessing.com/.

13

EdwinE.Jacques,ProtestantisminAlbania,ReformationforAlbania&Kosovo(PrintedoriginallyinLiria,

January,1994:8-10),accessedFebruary2017,https://reformation.edu/albania/pages/protestantism-

albania.htm.14

‘RuralPovertyinAlbania,’https://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/albania.

15

‘ForeignAidtoAlbaniaforDifferentSectors,’http://open.data.al/en/lajme/lajm/id/320/Foreign-aid-to-

Albania-for-different-sectors.

16

MarsidaNence,‘Corruption,Albania’sBiggestChallengeforIntegrationintotheEU,’PECOB,accessed

February2,2017,http://www.pecob.eu/Corruption-Albania-biggest-challenge-integration-E-U.

17

FredCatherwood,Light,SaltandtheWorldofBusiness:WhyWeMustStandAgainstCorruption(Lausanne:

LausanneMovement,2008),2,20.18

Foranothervisionofbusiness,whichlimitsitnotsimplytoprovidingsupportforthosebuildingthekingdom,

butseesitsownworkasitselfbuildingthekingdom,seeBridgetAdamsandManojRaithatha,Buildingthe

KingdomThroughBusiness:AMissionStrategyforthe21stCenturyWorld(Watford:InstantApostle,2015).

19

‘Countrieswithveryhighgovernmentrestrictionsonreligion,’PewResearchCenter,

http://www.pewforum.org/2016/06/23/number-of-countries-with-very-high-restrictions-and-hostilities-went-

down-in-2014/countriedhighgri/.

20

LuceBoulnois,SilkRoad:Monks,Warriors&MerchantsontheSilkRoad,trans.HelenLoveday,(HongKong:

OdysseyBooks&Guides,2004),277.21

SamuelHughMoffett,AHistoryofChristianityinAsia,VolumeI:Beginningsto1500(NewYork:OrbisBooks,

1998),297.

22

Moffett,HistoryofChristianity,275.23

Moffett,HistoryofChristianity,246.24

PaulaHarris,NestorianCommunity,SpiritualityandMission,inGlobalMissiologyforthe21st

Century:The

IguassuDialogue,WilliamTaylor,ed.(GrandRapids,MI:BakerAcademic,2000),497-98,citedbyMunson.

25

GlenL.Thompson.ChristontheSilkRoad.Touchstone:AJournalofMereChristianity,Vol.20April2007,

3:31.

26

RobertH.Munson,TheRoleofTradeRoutesintheSpreadofChristianityinAsiaDuringtheFirstMillennium,

lastmodified2008,

42

https://www.academia.edu/12269947/THE_ROLE_OF_TRADE_ROUTES_IN_THE_SPREAD_OF_CHRISTIANITY_IN

_ASIA_DURING_THE_FIRST_MILLENNIUM.27

Munson,RoleofTradeRoutes.28

PatrickJohnstone,TheChurchisBiggerthanYouThink:TheUnfinishedWorkofWorldEvangelization

(Pasadena,CA:WilliamCarryLibrary,1998),73.

29

SeeS.FrederickStarr,LostEnlightenmentCentralAsia’sGoldenAgefromtheArabConquesttoTamerlane

(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,2015).

30

SeeJackWeatherford,TheSecretHistoryoftheMongolQueens:HowthedaughtersofGenghisKhan

RescuedHisEmpire(NewYork:RandomHouse,2010).31

MarcoPolo,TheTravelsofMarcoPolo,(TheEastonPress,Norwalk,Connecticut,1992),161.32

SeeDeborahCadbury,TheChocolateWars:The150-YearRivalryBetweentheWorldsGreatestChocolate

Makers(NewYork:PublicAffairs,2010).33

LawrenceE.Barker,‘ThePurposeofEvangelism,’QuakerReligiousThought53(1982):29-33

http://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/qrt/vol53/iss1/4

34

DavidBurnsWindsor,TheQuakerEnterprise:FriendsinBusiness(London:FrederickMuller,Ltd.,1980),83.

35

DavidEung-YulRyoo,‘TheMoravianMissionsStrategy:Christ-Centered,Spirit-Driven,Mission-Minded,’

HaddingtonHouseJournal12(2010):35-49https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/haddington-house-

journal/12_035.pdf.

36

WilliamJ.Danker,ProfitfortheLord:EconomicActivitiesinMoravianMissionsandtheBaselMissionTrading

Company(EugeneOR:WipfandStock,2002),102.

37

Danker,Profit,129.38

Danker,Profit,55.39

Thisreportcanbedownloadedfromhttp://www.bamglobal.org/report-measuring/.

40

Seehttps://www.thegivingkeys.com/pages/about-us.41

Seehttp://5l2fministry.org.

42

FAOSTATdataonGhanaaccessedfrom:http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#country/81,accessedApril2017.

Documents

WEALTH CREATORS’ CONTRIBUTION TO HOLISTIC …bamglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Wealth...Executive Summary: Wealth Creators’ Contribution to Holistic Transformation [Quotes